Abortion buffer-zone law upheld

A federal judge has upheld the constitutionality of a recently revised Massachusetts statute establishing a 35-foot fixed buffer-zone around driveways and entrances of reproductive health care facilities (RHCFs).

A plaintiff group of Massachusetts residents brought a First Amendment challenge to the statute as applied to their speech activities at three RHCFs in Boston, Worcester and Springfield.

“[T]his court finds that the Act [G.L.c. 266, §120E1/2] as applied is a valid regulation of the time, place, and manner of Plaintiffs’ speech,” U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro responded. “From the evidence contained in the Joint Trial Record, it is clear that the Act, as applied at each of the three challenged RHCFs, leaves open ample adequate alternative means of communication.”